At building collapse site, horror mixes with humanity

By Sajjad Hussein, for CNN

Updated 8:15 PM ET, Sun April 28, 2013

Photos: Building collapses in Bangladesh80 photos

Building collapses in Bangladesh – Members of the Bangladesh army pray at the site of the collapsed Rana Plaza in Savar near Dhaka on Tuesday, May 14. The army-led effort to search for bodies has ended nearly three weeks after the nine-story building collapsed. The final death toll stands at 1,127.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Relatives of missing garment workers offer prayers in front of the rubble on May 14 in Savar.

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Photos: Building collapses in Bangladesh – A white board at the recovery command center near the disaster is used to track the death toll on Monday, May 13.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Heavy equipment sifts through the rubble of the garment factory building collapse on Sunday, May 12.

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Photos: Building collapses in Bangladesh – A woman cries holds a portrait of a missing relative believed to be trapped in the rubble of the Rana Plaza building on Saturday, May 11.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Bangladeshi garment worker Reshma Begum, a seamstress who survived 16 days trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building, rests in Savar Cantonment Hospital on the outskirts of Dhaka on May 11.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Relatives search through a long line of covered decomposing bodies to try to identify their family members on May 11.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescue workers retrieve Reshma from the rubble in Savar, Bangladesh, on Friday, May 10. She got rescue workers' attention by waving an iron rod. She was found in a pool of water, which allowed her to stay alive.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – An injured worker who survived the building collapse is carried by her husband to collect her wages in Savar near Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Wednesday, May 8.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Garment workers who survived the building collapse line up to collect their salaries in Savar on May 8.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Workers continue rescue and recovery operations on Tuesday, May 7, nearly two weeks after the Rana Plaza building's collapse outside Dhaka.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescue workers recover a body from the rubble on May 7.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Relatives place a body in the back of a truck on May 7.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A woman attempts to identify one of the bodies kept in a schoolyard on May 7.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Members of the Bangladeshi army and firefighters carry the body of a garment worker from the scene of the building collapse in Savar, outside Dhaka, on Sunday, May 5.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A woman holds a portrait of her missing relative as she sleeps on Saturday, May 4.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Relatives attempt to identify the bodies of loved ones on May 4.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescue workers dig out debris from the Rana Plaza building as Bangladeshi army personnel continue the second phase of a rescue operation using heavy equipment on Friday, May 3.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A woman reacts on May 3 after identifying a body found in the rubble.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A man stands amid the destruction as rescue and army personnel continue recovery operations on May 3.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A woman holds up a picture of a missing person believed to be trapped in the rubble on May 3.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A garment worker rescued from the wreckage of the Rana Plaza building lies in a hospital in Dhaka on Thursday, May 2.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A woman weeps after identifying her daughter's body in the rubble in Savar on May 2.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescue workers move debris as Bangladeshi army personnel continue the second phase of a rescue operation at the site of the collapsed building in Savar on May 2.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A woman mourns before a mass burial in Dhaka on Wednesday, May 1.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Unidentified bodies from the rubble lie on the ground as people gather for a mass burial in Dhaka on May 1.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Workers dig graves during a mass burial of unidentified garment workers on May 1.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Sohel Rana, owner of the collapsed Rana Plaza building, wears police-issued body armor and a helmet while being escorted to court in Dhaka on Tuesday, April 30. Rana was arrested near the Indian border, and protesters called for him to be hanged.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Bangladeshi troops carry the body of a garment worker out of the rubble of the collapsed Rana Plaza building in Savar on April 30.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Clothing with Joe Fresh labels lies in the debris on April 30.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Cranes operated by Bangladeshi army personnel work on Monday, April 29.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Firefighters try to control a blaze that started while they were trying to rescue a woman with heavy equipment on April 29.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Bangladeshi army personnel begin the second phase of the rescue operation using heavy equipment on April 29.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescuers look for survivors on Sunday, April 28. The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society says the chances of finding anyone alive in the rubble at this date are remote.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A woman mourns on April 28 at the site of the building collapse in Savar.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescue workers search for survivors on April 28.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Volunteers sleep before they begin more rescue operations on April 28.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescue workers carry a victim's body recovered from the rubble on April 28.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Clothes lie in the rubble on Saturday, April 27.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – An arrested owner of a garment factory is escorted to an appearance at the court in Dhaka on April 27. Four people were arrested and four others are being questioned by police.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Relatives hold photos of missing and dead workers outside the factory April 27.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Two Bangladeshi women look at a board with notices posted of missing and dead workers on April 27.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Bangladeshi relatives and workers load a body onto a truck on April 27.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – An excavator operated by the Bangladeshi Army removes debris on April 26.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Volunteers and rescue workers conduct rescue operations on April 26.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescue workers use textile as a slide to move bodies out of the rubble on April 26.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescue workers look for trapped garment workers on April 26.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescue workers stand on the rubble of the collapsed building on April 26.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescue workers search the rubble for victims and survivors on April 26.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A rescue worker looks for trapped workers on April 26.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Bangladeshi army personnel recover a survivor from rubble on April 26, 48 hours after the collapse.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Volunteers and rescue workers assist in rescue operations on April 26.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A physician assists a survivor after he was recovered from the rubble on April 26.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Two bodies clutch each other in the rubble on Thursday, April 25.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – People rescue garment workers on April 25.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A Bangladeshi woman shows a picture of her missing daughter-in-law she believes is trapped in the collapsed building on April 25.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Bangladeshi firefighters cut a hole through concrete during rescue operations on April 25 in Savar, a suburb of Dhaka.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Volunteers and rescue workers work at the scene on April 25.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A woman appears devastated on April 25 after identifying the body of her husband killed in the building collapse.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Bangladeshi garment workers help evacuate a survivor by using a roll of fabric on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – People rescue garment workers on Wednesday, April 24, after the building caved in, leaving a chaotic mass of broken concrete and twisted metal.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Relatives who lost a brother mourn outside a hospital on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescuers help an injured garment worker to escape from the Rana Plaza building on the outskirts of Dhaka on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Civilians help an injured garment worker on April 24. Work was proceeding slowly to avoid causing further collapse, an official said.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescue workers search for trapped garment workers in the Rana Plaza building on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – An injured Bangladeshi lies on the hospital floor on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – The injured receive treatment at a hospital on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – An injured person rests in a hospital bed on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – People wait anxiously on April 24 while rescuers search for survivors.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescuers help an injured person out of the seventh floor on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Civilians help out in rescue efforts at the collapsed building on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Hundreds watch the rescue operations on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – People search for garment workers trapped under the debris on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescuers help an injured worker on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A body is trapped under the damaged building on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A woman is carried away from the building on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – A rescue worker carries a worker to an ambulance on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Crowds gather around the collapsed building on April 24.

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Building collapses in Bangladesh – Rescuers bring out an injured garment worker from the building's sixth floor.

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Story highlights

Days after factory collapse, rescue efforts hampered by lack of equipment

Families waiting for loved ones are growing desperate

Volunteers risking their lives to rescue victims under the rubble

More than 72 hours into the Savar disaster, rescuers shout for help, drilling machines rattle, the ambulance sirens wail and people cry aloud for their missing relatives, colleagues and friends.

Inside, the rescue workers with no modern equipment to carry out the rescue are struggling to find survivors in the rubble of an eight-story building.

One of the rescue workers who had been working for the last three days fainted and had to be moved to a hospital. An army officer was trapped inside when he went deep into the holes to look for survivors. He had been behaving abnormally since being exposed to the mutilated bodies and the stench of blood.

Rescuers from the fire service department, army and hundreds of volunteers have been struggling to find survivors who remained trapped. The death toll has already risen above 300, according to last official count and appeared to increase every hour with around 600 people missing and suspected to be under the debris.

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According to government statement, around 3,000 people have been rescued. Due to lack of proper equipment and the rubble, locating survivors has become next to impossible and often slow rescue, a slow work.

"Our main concern for the moment is to find the survivors," one of the rescue workers told a local TV channel. "We can think about the dead bodies later on."

Around 3,500 workers were inside the building which had apparel factories, a bank and several other shops when Bangladesh's worst industrial accident took place. Savar, a sub-district which is about 45 kilometers from the capital Dhaka, is a place where many clothing factories were built in the last decade. Most of the workers come from all over the country and are paid minimum wage, according to labor rights activists.

Meanwhile, hundreds of relatives of the victims gather to the Adhar Chandra School where the bodies are kept. People with photos of their relatives, mostly workers of the apparel factories, are asking officials for help.

Whenever an ambulance arrived to the spot, people rushed to see if it was of their loved ones.

"These people, they are on the verge of a breakdown," an official said, who had been handing over the bodies to their relatives. "I have never seen such a situation in my life."

The stench of the corpses made the air heavy with people desperately looking for their relatives. A temporary control room had been set up close to the site of the disaster to provide the distressed families with information.

Selina is one of those waiting for the last 48 hours for her cousin Momtaz. She is a worker at a different garment factory and used to live in a rented house with Momtaz who has been missing since the incident. Selina frantically looked everywhere -- from hospitals to the morgue, asking survivors whether they had seen Momtaz, but nobody could help her.

"We came to Savar a year ago from Jessore. What am I going to tell her parents if she is dead?" Selina said. Thousands others like her who have come across the country.

Things are no different at the local Enam Medical College Hospital where thousands of survivors have been treated. The blood shortage is acute and the hospital authority is urging people to donate for the victims. There is also a shortage of medicine. The local military hospital is also treating patients. Many have been sent to Dhaka for treatment. According to newspaper reports, one-third of the patients are severely injured and face a long recovery.

There are more stories from survivors, mostly women in their mid-twenties, who remained under the mangled building for hours -- wounded and without food and water. They saw their friends and colleagues succumb to their injuries and they could do nothing about it.

One female worker was saved after more than 45 hours, but at a heavy price. She was trapped under a machine. After failing to pull her hand out, the rescue workers had to saw it off to free her. She is now undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

But rescue workers are struggling with the lack of modern equipment. Although donations of medicine, food and water are being sent, they're not enough.

A group of people were seen holding placards asking for water, oxygen cylinders and torch lights. On Friday evening, announcements were made in loudspeakers asking for fuel for generators. Without them, the rescue work would come to a halt.

Those who are found to be alive, but can't be rescued due to lack of equipment, are sent water, food and in some cases, oxygen tanks. But as time goes by, the hope for finding more survivors has been fading.

In this time of crisis, volunteers have been working with the army and fire brigade rescue workers since the first day. They help carry the survivors to hospitals, pave the way for ambulances and other equipment to enter the site, and donate blood and medicine for the victims.

Without safety gear or training to handle such crisis, volunteers, mainly students, garment workers and local youths risk their lives to go inside the debris and pull people out.

In Dhaka, special booths were set where people are donating blood for the victims.

"I have never seen people so enthusiastically helping each other in times of disaster," said Piplu Khan, a media activist who has been helping the rescue efforts from the first day with generator and search lights. "You can imagine it's an impossible task to rescue people with almost no equipment. It's just the emotion of common people who are brave enough to enter inside the rubble with zero gear and rescue people out."

Like him, lots of young activists have come forward in the rescue work in one hand and donating blood and medicine on the other. Social media sites have also been abuzz with people calling to unite and help the victims.

Meanwhile, the long wait for the missing persons is resulting in anger and frustration. On Friday, there was a mob attack for the alleged delay in the rescue process. The huge crowd is also creating hindrances for the rescue mission. The frustration is turning into anger.

Already protesters are demanding punishment of the culprits and speedier rescue work. Fearing the situation might deteriorate, all garment factories in Savar and adjacent areas have been closed. Reports of cracks being noticed in other factory buildings are fueling more fear and anger among workers.

It remains unclear when the whole rescue operation will be called off. With so many missing people and challenges in the rescue efforts, hope appears to be the only thing keeping the whole operation afloat.